‘Themythisstilloutthere’aboutmembership

“First things first,” starts Ed Ponsart, better known to thousands of SD43 students and graduates as Mr Ponsart a retired teacher and administrator at 17 schools in the Tri-Cities “The Legion is for everyone”

Ponsart is the 2nd vice president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 263 in Coquitlam that’s currently on a membership drive after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted business

Over the past three years, about 400 members have left the Austin Heights club due to physical restrictions caused by the global virus

Now, the executive team is hoping to tempt them back, as well as attract new blood for social gatherings and fundraising at the Ridgeway Avenue lounge and hall

Ponsart is optimistic the numbers will return

And his messaging to the public is clear: You don’t need a military background or be related to service personnel to join “The myth is still out there,” Ponsart lamented, “but, in fact, we welcome anyone”

Indeed, many Tri-City organizations lost members during the pandemic and some even shuttered for financial reasons Branch 263 struggled to keep afloat, too, said 1st vice president Jim Smith, a retired truck driver

Still, with social dis-

Ed Ponsart and Jim Smith are on the executive of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 263 in Coquitlam, which is having a membership drive. JANIS CLEUGH/TCN grants is also helping to offset costs for community, school and sporting groups many of whom also suffered during the pandemic Recently, Smith said, Branch 263 donated $12,000 for the outdoor learning centre at Lord Baden-Powell Elementary But typically, it gives out about $100,000 a year to registered nonprofit organizations Money for the charities also come in through the branch’s weekend live music performances; membership for Saturday nights are waived

To bring the community in, the branch also hosts celebrations, of which families can visit the 125-seat lounge; the 1980s-style room complete with furniture recycled from the now-defunct Cariboo Hotel includes a bar, billiards, photos and a tribute mural painted by Don Portelance’s students

Outside, Branch 263 also updated a wall with a Lest We Forget mural and had its plaque repaired by the Coquitlam Men’s Shed

At present, membership stands at 678 with some commuting as far away as Abbotsford; however, with the new residential towers popping up in the neighbourhood, the executive is anticipating a new wave

“Our lounge is a nice place for people to meet,” Ponsart said “Most of us know each other here, so when someone new walks in, they might get a strange look at first but we welcome you with open arms We’re a very friendly group”

Visit rclegion263 ca to find out how to become a Legion member tancing measures gone, its programs and services are slowly coming back on track: the Ladies Pool League is in session Thursday nights after a hiatus, and so is bingo Its hall schedule is also filling up again with community groups and special event rentals As well, its fundraising through meat draws and from provincial

Modern-day twist

Self-portrait as Narcissus is part of a series of oil paintings by Samantha Harrison up in the Suncor Gallery at PoMoArts until March 28. A 2020 graduate of the Emily Carr University of Art + Design, majoring in visual arts/ painting, Harrison mostly paints still life and portraits in a classical realistic or photorealistic style. In her collection Recreations of Myth and Spirit at the Port Moody arts venue (2425 St. Johns St.), Harrison interprets mythological and religious beings as modern people. “In creating each painting, the objective is to match each model to different figures based on a moment of perceived similarity, while also deliberately mismatching the models in other aspects of their visual characteristics, such as their perceived racial identity or biological sex,” she writes in her artist’s statement. “In doing this, an attempt is made to draw focus upon the idea that mythological and spiritual figures are deeply connected to and inspired by various aspects of the human condition, even the mundane.” Recreations of Myth and Spirit can also be seen later this year at Port Coquitlam’s Michael Wright Art Gallery Also showing at PoMoArts this month are the exhibits by Tri-City Potters (Ceramics in Flux) and Tam Harrington (Fashion, A Complex Relationship).

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